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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. stock — goods
  3. current — electric
  4. rest — a break
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. wound — an injury
  7. rest — what's left
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. rest — what's left
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. wound — an injury
  12. staff — a stick
  13. current — of water
  14. staff — employees
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. current — happening now
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. stock — shares
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. staff — employees
  24. plane — a tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com